Why Are You Sorry, Darling?

Chapter 10

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The following morning at DeLov Manor began with the clear and elegant sound of chirping. I didn’t know what kind of bird it was, but it sang a fine tune every day, so it wasn’t bad to hear. Then again, I would’ve willingly listened to loud drills at the moment.

“Hum, hum.” I spent the day reading books and looking at collections of art by my favorite artists.

The gallery where I’d met Seira was my favorite place, and I’d made generous donations to help the poor painters featured there. Today was no different.

As a member of a duchy, sponsoring commoners was one of my duties in the first place. Of course, I was motivated more by pleasure than a sense of responsibility, but in the end it had gotten me a reputation as a duchess who poured her efforts into philanthropy, so everything had worked out in my favor.

I didn’t just sponsor artists, but invested in them as well. By investment, I meant netting paintings from minor galleries and transferring them to more prestigious ones. To be precise, it was the business of fully backing painters to raise the value of their work.

“Letter for you from the gallery, my lady.”

“Leave it there.”

In this world, paintings were not only enjoyed for the sake of art but were also used to obscure the extent of one’s personal assets. This was possible because the value of the artwork was so subjective.

"Let’s see. It’s a letter from an artist I invested in."

Doris R. I set the letter with the familiar name down. I appreciated the thoughtful gesture, but I tended not to open personal letters from artists. Rumors often made the rounds about illicit relationships between noble ladies and the artists they sponsored, so I tried to avoid creating any misunderstandings. You could say that I admired their talents, but I kept a perfectly respectable distance between us.

“What should I do about the other letters in the same name, my lady?”

“Leave them there. Oh, never mind.” I sifted through the remaining stack of letters and handed all but the important ones back to the maid. “Take care of these, and see yourself out.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Unfortunately for the artists, I had no intention of meeting or exchanging letters with them if the gallery wasn’t involved. I never mixed business and pleasure.

An artist who was nurtured well could become a walking gold mine. Just by saying a painting was by a particular artist, the bidding price went up. Thankfully, the value of a painting rarely decreased once it had increased. Of course, it took time, wealth, and honor to build that reputation, but I happened to have all three, and I’d been successful at it. I didn’t intend to associate my investments with dirty money, but knowing the distribution network and connections linking the flow of paintings and money was a huge asset in itself.

Furthermore, I didn’t carry out these activities under the DeLov name. It was purely personal, so I would be able to keep some share of them, even if I were to get divorced. Additionally, assets personally increased over the course of the marriage weren’t subject to division. But once I lost the title of duchess, at least half and perhaps even up to ninety percent of the credit and honor I’d accumulated so far might disappear. Well, I think I’ll have quite a bit left if I only consider the money. The wealth I’d secretly amassed behind Duke DeLov’s back had grown unexpectedly enormous, although it was only natural since I had put in so much effort. No one would think that so much wealth could have been gained by one person.

“Come to think of it, the charity party is just around the corner.”

The gallery’s annual charity party was usually hosted by the noble who had given the most donations that year, and this year, that had been me, so the party would be held in my name. I’d been delegating the party preparations for a while, but I’d briefly forgotten about it because I’d been so busy focusing on Operation: Mistress ♥ Husband recently. Still, I felt happy now that I’d remembered.

In the novel, the duchess’s life had been full of nothing but misery. That was only natural, considering that the only people around her were her unfaithful husband and his beautiful mistress. The duchess was quiet and timid by nature, so she couldn’t even go out, and she’d never done as she wanted because she was too busy walking on eggshells. Although I was imitating her personality and lifestyle, the one thing that set us apart was that I did everything I wanted to do, eating and wearing whatever I liked. Above all, I spent money as I wanted to.

I’d never dreamed that the investment I had been diligently working on would be so successful. I’d given the painters every support they could’ve asked for, so even if I weren’t the duchess, some of them would stay loyal to me. Artists valued righteousness and reason, and they had huge egos and an instinctive desire to show off. Therefore, they had a tendency to faithfully follow those who’d recognized their talents. Not bad. It was the same for the artist who’d made the sketchbook that I was holding right now. A painting of theirs had just sold for the highest price in a recent auction. Even if I got divorced immediately, I had no regrets because I had such precious talent around me.

The sun was setting when I closed the sketchbook while I hummed. At that precise moment, a servant came in and bowed her head, saying that she had prepared a bath. I got in the tub, and as I settled into the warm water, I gathered my hands together. My palms were full of roses that were, my goodness, sprinkled with gold dust. How extravagant.

In a way, it was unnecessarily fancy, but this was a gift I gave myself. Finally, I’m getting my freedom! The duchess will leave her adulterous husband and be free! I soaked my body in the tub, and my nose was filled with the sweet rose scent, causing my entire body to relax.

In my head, His Imperial Majesty fluttered his wings and proclaimed the blissful sentence, Four weeks, four weeks! No matter how many times I thought about it, I was still thrilled by the events of that day. If I spent the next four weeks wisely, I would be able to cleanly split from my husband. I was confident in my ability to leave no option but divorce. Ah, whatever! Let’s enjoy it for now! Cheers to me!

“My lady, what would you like to do next?” Rosa asked me with a bow when I came out from my invigorating bath.

I took the towel she handed me and smiled. “Hmm, I’d like a massage.”

I had given the order before entering the bath, and now the best masseuse in the capital was waiting for me. I got on the massage table and let the dexterous expert work her magic. Wow, this is incredible. I’m in heaven!

This might just be the waiting period before the official divorce, but I was glad that there was nothing to worry about anymore. I was free from the infid-hell-ity, and now I had a life of luxury as a rich divorcée to look forward to. How should I spend my money from now on? Throughout the massage, I thought about how to become the happiest do-nothing in the empire.

I was so meticulous that I’d made sure not to spend a single coin of the duke’s money on my lavish indulgence today. Of course. We’re going to be strangers soon, so I can’t let him make an issue out of it.

Besides, I was already rich enough that there was no need to spend my husband’s money. The investments I’d been working on were paying off, the dowry the duchess had brought when she got married was still untouched, and as I’d mentioned previously, I’d also made a lot of profit through investment and sponsorships. As soon as I realized that I’d be able to survive off just that money alone for years to come, I felt as free as the wind on the sea. Once I spent all that money, I was going to be a rich bum living it up at my parents’ place.

After happily imagining the future in my head, I got up. My face was glowing from the massage, surprisingly, and my whole body was as fresh and lustrous as if it were covered in water droplets. Is this what “dewy” looks like? Spending money like water really is thrilling! It always feels like the first time! It’s the best!

“Will you be taking dinner now, my lady?”

“Sure.”

Tapping my dewy cheeks with my palms, I headed to the dining hall. I usually took my meals comfortably in my room, but today I wanted to dine with a lovely musical accompaniment. I walked into the dining hall, and the table was filled with refreshments and tea that I could enjoy before the meal. I went to my seat and lifted the steaming teacup.

The people of this empire liked to drink tea, just like the British from the world of my previous life. In aristocratic society with its distinctive pretensions, the nobles drank tea before, with, and after meals. Unfortunately, I preferred coffee to tea, so I felt very sad that there was no such thing as instant coffee here, which I considered my soulmate.

“Did you prepare it?”

“Yes, my lady.”

The tea here was either generally harsh and bitter or saccharine-sweet like fruit teas, so I didn’t really like it. I didn’t miss much else, but I particularly longed for the drinks from the modern world. As a result, I’d developed an unusual habit, which was collecting various spices and mixing them willy-nilly out of the faint hope that if I kept mixing ingredients, I would be able to create a beverage that tasted like something from my past world. It was also good for filling the loneliness and emptiness I’d felt as the duchess after waking up in her body.

“Bring me the tea leaves. The ones I usually enjoy. Oh, and don’t forget the spices either.”

“Yes, my lady.”